


Holding Hands

by frogsandrosbifs



Category: Hunger Games - Fandom, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-18
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-23 21:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/931044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frogsandrosbifs/pseuds/frogsandrosbifs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for an OTP challenge<br/>Pre 74th Hunger Games</p>
<p>The first time she held his hand, he wasn't in love with her. Not yet. It was too early, and he felt unable to love. Unable to do anything but smile at the cameras and pretend to be Finnick Odair, the beautiful, flawless, perfect one. The fake boy. The Capitol dream.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holding Hands

 

He was just back in District Four, and still had the cameras behind him, as the big celebrations were only starting. And it wasn't so hard to smile and pretend when he saw all those kids grinning at him because they were getting enough to eat for a year, and adults giving him handshakes and thanking him. Even if he knew that those were fake. "Thanks for your killing ?" Seriously ?

But he would just nod, and grin, and try not to think about what those people had seen on their screen. What could they see in his eyes, when he was killing other children ?

He hadn't seen Annie a lot during those days. She tended to stay away from him. They would fight a lot in the old days, “old” days which were actually a month ago but that felt so far away. She had always found him arrogant and he knew it. He had always liked teasing her, as the girl was fierce. She would always react and yell back at him, or even hit him. It used to be funny.

Right now, he thought bitterly, she probably didn't want to see him. She had seen the killer in him.

And yet, he found her waiting at the beach one night. He had been coming there every night lately, to listen to the sound of the waves, hoping they would drown his endless nightmares. He wasn't sleeping. It was a common thing among victors. The arena stole your sleep and your dreams away from you, and it only left nightmares and flashbacks. And screaming. Lots of screaming.

He didn’t know why, really, but he avoided her and sat at his usual place, wringing his hands. He had to do something about that ; now, he was constantly wringing his hands or biting his nails, sometimes until he bled. As he put his head in his hands to avoid thinking of this again, a voice put him out of his anxiety.

"You don't say hi anymore ?"

Annie. He just didn't think she would talk to him. He didn’t expect her to want to look at his face, even just that.

"Hi."

Both of them didn't really know what to say. They were silent for a while, as she just sat next to him and stared at the sea, black and shiny in the cold night. He felt her shivering, but Finnick was only wearing a light shirt. He didn't feel the cold anymore.

Annie was quite talkative, usually. But sometimes, there was nothing to say.

 

"I'm with you."

"What ?" he turned to her and stared in her sea-green eyes. She really did have beautiful eyes. It was a shame that he hadn't noticed them before.

"I mean... I hope you'll be okay."

He certainly didn't expect that. And it was more moving than he would have expected. He needed some warmness, someone who'd say that instead of just praising him all the time. His parents kept telling him they were so proud, people of the District thanked him, kids said they wanted to be strong and good like him and that they were going to train really hard for it. And Annie said that she hoped he'll be okay.

He needed someone who'd acknowledge how terrible it was, for him, for everyone. His throat felt tight, and his voice wouldn't come out, so he could only nod and start biting his nails. Annie's hand stopped him ; brushing his own first, then holding it, gently pulling it to her.

They just held hands, then. Hers was warmer, and small and soft. Annie had never worked in her life, after all. Finnick was only fourteen, but he already had the rugged hands of a sailor.

He felt her squeezing his hand, and in this instant, he thought he never wanted to let go. He never wanted to let go of Annie, he thought.

"Annie ?" he said in a muffled voice.

"Finn' ?"

"Thank you."

She shrugged, smiling a little.

"You're arrogant and annoying, but you're my friend."

It felt wonderfully comforting that she talked to him like she always did. She didn't change her tone of voice and her behaviour around him. And she was probably the only one.

 

For the first time since the Games, he could almost say that he was feeling better.

 

_I fell in love at the seaside_

_She handled her charm with time and slight of hand, and oh_


End file.
